HP: Social networking not marketer friendly

Are users in control in the Web 2.0 world of online social networking? Maybe. But brand marketers remain in control of their ad spends, or not, at the online social networking properties.

This afternoon’s “Taking Control of User Generated Content” panel at the Interactive Advertising Bureau Leadersip Forum promised a discussion on the brand risks and rewards of marketing at user generated content fueled social networking properties:

Although the value and reach that consumer-generated content can project is tremendous, significant challenges exist to harnessing its influence. The most avid user generated vanguards are not pleased with being marketed to and brand marketers must relinquish control in order to actively participate in the medium.

The only brand marketer on the panel put forth decidedly more social networking marketing risks than rewards.

Trimble offered that MySpace conveniently offers “protected areas” within MySpace to provide marketers with a “trusted environment.” Trimble cited the MySpace homepage and brand sponsored sections saying there are areas in the site that “are not fully user generated.”

For HP, however, an off-site micro-site is not the social networking marketing answer, just as product messages are not the social networking marketing answer.

Bermel does not dismiss the appeal of the social networking phenomenon, however. As in most situations, the answer is a bottom-line one. How much will it cost HP to directly learn about social networking and what will HP get out of it.

MySpace may be the proud host of 100 million friends, but HP does not find them very marketer friendly.

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